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If you’re thinking of canceling your premium travel credit cards, DON’T DO IT! More Amex coronavirus categories were recently added so you can still use your cards despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amex understands that travel-related perks aren’t in demand right now because of the changes in consumer behavior. This is why Amex added groceries, streaming services, wireless phone services, and food to its bonus categories.
Amex Coronavirus Updates
Amex was the first major credit card issuer to announce that it will add new bonus categories. The updates were announced this May 1, 2020, and it seems that they’re only temporary and will run through different months in 2020.
It’s just timely and relevant since cardholders won’t be able to use the travel perks anyway.
Please note as of January 2021 a lot of these temporary pandemic perks have already changed or expired but we’ve kept this article up for educational, research and historical purposes.
Eligible Cards
Currently, there’s a total of 11 Amex cards that are eligible for the new bonus categories.
This move is a win-win situation for both the company and the cardholders. The former won’t lose its customers while the latter will earn more points.
Read More: Amex Blue Delta SkyMiles Full Review
Bonus Categories
Amex released these new categories a few days ago and they include:
- Groceries
- Restaurants and Food Delivery
- Streaming and Phone Services
- Dell Statement Credit
Let’s discuss each category in detail and which cards would be eligible for the bonuses.
Groceries
For those who have Amex cards and co-branded cards, you will get additional points per dollar when you buy at U.S grocery stores. We’ve listed down the details below.
- Earn 12x points per $1 on groceries using your Hilton Honors Surpass and Hilton Honors Aspire starting from May 1 – July 30, 2020.
- Earn 6x per $1 spent on groceries using your Marriott Bonvoy and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant starting from May 1 – July 30, 2020. The spending limit is $7,500 dollars per month.
- Earn 4x per $1 spent on groceries using your Delta SkyMiles credit cards (Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Reserve) starting from May 1 – July 30, 2020.
Read More: Delta Reserve Business Card – Is It Good For Frequent Travelers?
Food and Delivery
Before, the dining bonus category was only limited to Marriott and Hilton purchases, but Amex currently expanded that category.
Cardholders can now earn points for dining, food delivery, and takeout at other eligible restaurants.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders can now earn a $300 annual credit on eligible purchases starting from June 1 – August 31, 2020.
- Hilton Honors Aspire cardholders can now earn a $250 annual credit on eligible purchases starting from June 1 – August 31, 2020.
Streaming and Phone Services
The streaming and phone service bonuses are probably the most valuable among all the Amex coronavirus categories.
The statement credits are bigger which helps offset the annual fees. This is very useful, especially for people who have the Amex Platinum which has an annual fee of $550.
Some of the eligible streaming and wireless services include Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
- Amex Green cardholders will earn up to $80 in statement credits for purchases made from eligible wireless phone services. The offer is valid from May 1 – December 31, 2020, and has a spending limit of $10 per month.
- Amex Platinum cardholders will earn up to $320 in statement credits for purchases from eligible streaming and wireless phone services. The offer is valid from May 1 – December 31, 2020, and has a spending limit of $20 per month.
- Amex Business Platinum cardholders will also earn up to $320 in statement credits on purchases from eligible wireless phone services. The offer is valid from May 1 to December 31, 2020, and has a spending limit of $20 per month
Dell Statement Credit
Aside from the eligible wireless phone services statement credits, Amex Business Platinum cardholders will also get an additional Dell statement credit.
Currently, cardholders have a $200 Dell credit but the bonus categories just added $200 more for this year.
- $100 from May 1 through June 30, 2020
- $100 from July 1 to December 31, 2020
If you do the math, that’s a sum of $520 worth of statement credit: $320 from the wireless phone service + $200 from Dell.
Thoughts From Points Panda
With the pandemic changing everyone’s buying patterns, these updates are just necessary. Now is the time for issuers to offer their customers more ways to rack up points even with travel credit cards. You can sign up for our travel concierge to get a full year of unlimited credit card assistance on how to maximize the use of your cards and redeem awards even in this pandemic.
When this crisis is over and travel resumes, cardholders will be able to use those points they’ve earned from the additional bonus categories for trips and other redeemable travel rewards.
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